The officer in the Russian Federation will be tried because of shelling from Ukraine

The Russian officer will be tried on the article of violation of the rules of combat duty, he was accused of not preventing a missile attack on the territory of the Belgorod region from Ukraine in the spring of last year. “Kommersant” writes about it. According to the publication, the officer, who was arrested in May last year, faces up to ten years in prison for violating the rules of combat duty. His name is not mentioned. He is the first defendant in Russia in this article.

According to “Kommersant” sources, the prosecution believes that the military is guilty of insufficient coverage of the airspace in the border zone by means of air defense. At the time of the missile attack, he was reportedly on combat duty. As a result of the missile attack, as stated in the evidence, seven Russian servicemen were killed, more than 40 were injured, and 15 pieces of equipment were destroyed.

According to the investigation, “having all the possibilities to prevent the attack”, the officer “allowed causing serious damage to the country’s defense capability”. He himself does not admit guilt.

It is not clear when exactly the shelling, which is mentioned in the case, took place, and neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian sides have officially reported on it. The Ukrainian military traditionally does not comment on alleged shelling of Russian territory, and the Russian authorities, when announcing the shelling, emphasize damage to civilian infrastructure and injured civilians, if any.

• As follows from the context, the shelling – if it took place – was part of the defensive operations of Ukraine after the Russian large-scale invasion on February 24. It is not clear how the officer on duty could have prevented it.
• In connection with the war in Ukraine, hundreds of cases have already been initiated in Russia on charges of desertion, desertion during mobilization, and so on. There was no information about the initiation of cases in connection with war crimes in Ukraine, in the commission of which Russia is suspected by Ukraine and international organizations.